Window that needed to be filled in on interior of home.
B4
& After
Opening up the formal (Main floor ) living room open
concept into the kitchen dinning & a new fireplace that is capable of heating
the home.
B-4
 & After
A master suit and living room addition you'll find in the
building & remodeling page
We changed this house curb appeal from late 50's/60's 
To a much more modern ranch.
It also got a new deck in the back with screened 3 season room below,
retaining wall, Terra-lok driveway. You will see more of this project in
the Building & remodeling section and also pic page 5.
This was a shoreline restoration project on the west bank of Lake Wausau
somewhat across from the County Club golf course. The DNR and Marathon County Zoning
had cases filed to force restoration to the sites "natural state". A
number of illegal and ill-advised things had been constructed, causing erosion to the bank
as well as some questionable aesthetics. Elite was asked to come up with a solution
that worked for all sides, allowing the home owners access to the much used waterway.
While insuring that the bank would be stable, holding its vegetation beautifying
the shoreline and avoiding the court actions.
Before:
   
Work In Progress:
  
Project Completed:
   
This project was to clean up and Rip-Rap the shoreline, we also made an old
dry well that County Zoning would not permit to be filled in, into a wishing well and made
a step down dock.
Before:
  
Work In Progress:
Project Completed:
 
This is another Rip-Rap project using the more expensive granite cobblers.
Before:
 
Project Completed:
 
This project was a Terra-Lok path and patio, retaining walls, steps, a fire
pit, Rip-Rap, shore land grading, and some landscaping extras.
Before:
 
Project Completed:
   
 
In this project, the home owners needed more storage space for yard and boat
equipment. They also wanted a lower deck added. The local inspector stated in
a letter to Elite dated February 24th 1998, "I would like to complement you on the
innovative design of the project", in response to the ideas we came up with.
We turned the existing deck into a shed, built a cantilevered deck that juts out of the
hill and a bending stairs to blend it all together. We also provided walking paths
and landscaping of the area. A Turf-Stone approach to the roll up shed door to get a lawn
tractor up the hill safely, and a slight nautical look to match its Lake Wausau location.
Before:
Project Completed:
  
 
This project was a pond that a farmer had apparently tried to make, as there
are others in the area. Unfortunately the water table was too low in this spot.
So Elite reshaped the pond, added a liner, beach, and a river with a pump that puts
out two gallons a second. We then added a settling pool in the river, steps, a
bridge, landscaping and lighting. The babble of this brook is relaxing to say the
least, and we placed a few rocks to sit on or fish from high on the banks. Oh, and I just
had to put the photo of one of the guys and his pet rock in too! hi
Before:
  
Work In Progress:
Project Completed:
  
 
 
In this project we removed the old deck to find the sill and skirt plate
had rotted out. We lifted the home, replaced the bad boards, and removed the old
walk around back. We then installed this patio with integrated steps and window well, and
a blind for the utilities service and air conditioning area.
Before:
 
Project Completed:
In this project the homeowner wanted a new stairway and retaining wall.
We suggested instead, to move the entrance to the ground level, a more ergonomic
entrance. opening up the lower area with an engineered retaining wall system.
Changing the facade of the home to one with a more modern styling. The home owners
were unsure of what the concept might look like so we mocked up an estimation of the
change, which you may see in the Photo Enhancement section of this site.
Before:
   
Work In Progress:
    
Project Completed:
  
With what was a hill that was difficult to maintain
and needed a innovative solution. A set of cement stairs in good repair to
a cement patio below meant we wanted to keep them. So we built a segmented and
partly cantilevered deck to give the area some usefulness and to provide a view of Lake
Wausau from on high. Built away from the home and separated by the stairs and
landing, made the entire deck stand out in the sun and fitting in quite well with its
surroundings. A secondary design parameter was to make the area under the deck and on the
steep hill maintenance free. This was done using crusher rock and a small retaining
wall over landscape cloth.
Before:
Project Completed:
  
This next project was a deck not so old, but yet in poor shape. We tore it down and built a two level deck in its
place. With a side landing for the garage entrance that leads also to a Terra-Lok path
around front to add flow. The deck juts out on a cantilever over what was unusable
space to a set of stairs that wind down to a patio below. Again the design opens up
a large area for entertaining over what was an unusable grade.
Before:
 
Project Completed:
  
We were asked by one of our landscape and deck customers that owned some
business property to do some general contracting work one winter. It was a large bay
type office space used by TCF Consumer Lending at the time. They needed a privet
area to use as a closing room and also to set aside for security and to hide from view
their file area. So we divided up the back of the bay and made two small rooms.
Came out quite well and everyone was quite pleased.
Before:
Project Completed:
The next set of photos are of a Rip-Raping job, and shows the change from an old
Shorelander dock to and Elite dock plus stairs to the water of shore. I only had the
one before pic to illustrate the before, as all the others taken with it were given to the
D.N.R or County zoning for project permits. Fortunately I had taken a similar photo
of the area upon completion and more of the Rip-Rap and dock can be seen in Elite dock and
Photo sections.
Before:
Project Completed:
This project was replacing an old retaining wall of mortar and cement
blocks. It had failed and was leaning over, as well as lacking in looks. We
also replaced the old stairs that were done in the 60's style using wood as a retainer and
riser and pavers as the tread, with a retaining wall stair tread. It proved to be
quite the demolition and clean up project. As you can see we shaped the wall to save the
trees as well as for aesthetics in a modern style.
Before:
Project Complete:
  
The old cement steps shown below did not work well, as most don't.
Dug into the ground they do not stay over time, and often have a poor spacing making them
dangerous. Using steps of this type on the bank also tends to cause erosion
problems. We built a DNR & County Zoning approved raised stair, repaired and
replanted the bank then installed a few tons of Rip-Rap at the bottom. Making the
waterway safely useful and ensuring that the stairs and bank will remain in tact for a
long time to come.
Before:
Project Complete:
 
This project was to enlarge the deck that was just starting to get
rotten. The framing underneath was not proper for today's code either. The new
deck fits well into its surroundings giving the home owners more space, which I am happy
to report they use quite often.
Before:
Project Complete:
 
A new deck and to remake the storage underneath was what the homeowners
wanted in this next collection of pics. They had originally thought of taking stairs
down to the cement in the middle of the house. Elite came up with a little different
design that enlarged the deck, repaired old cement walls at either end of the house and
gave them a large storage and screed room underneath. Using an innovative system
unique to Elite, we turn the floor of a deck into a water proof and extremely long lasting
roof for the areas underneath. It is the last deck the home will ever need as long
as the green treated lumber is kept stained.
Before:
   
Project Completed:
   
The front entrance to this home had timbers filled with sand to form the stoop and
tread for Terra-lok pavers, in the 1960's style. We took that apart and pored a new
front stoop with frost walls and a path. Over witch was put a clay paver that was
grouted in with mortar. It gives the home a modern look that goes well with the
garden in the front turn around.
Before:
  
Project Complete:
 
This project was a 100+ year old gas light that was the proverbial basket case.
We got it wrapped in blankets inside what actually was a garbage can. It was corroded and
had been brush painted several times and the very top piece was all but gone. So we
cleaned, remanufactured holes and tapings and came up with a new top piece to finish the
light in place of the old tin roof cap that was rusted out. Then we searched up a lighting
manufacturer willing to sent it through there paint line so it would match up with a pole
that we liked. The results were better than I had anticipated when first seeing the
light in pieces laid out on the ground.
Start to Finish:
Elite was asked to do this restoration project, one that you will only see
pics of on this page. The area was an old industrial site used for a
cement factory, pit and yard. The area that is now water that makes the
bay to the side was once a working pit where they got the sand and small rock
for the production of cement. It was later opened up to allow the river to
fill it creating a wonderful small and deep bay.
The area along this pit and later bay had a long hill made of sand fill that
was put in place to keep the flood waters out of the pit. Then along what
is now a point used by fisherman there had been waist cement dumped from
bridges, roads, foundations and the like. Also a pile of cement that had been
pored in place, that must have been a bad batch or for some reason unused.
Elite removed approximately 250 yards of fill material 175 tons of waist
cement, cement block, asphalt and brick. Among witch was a ton of steel in the
form of re-bar, wire, cable and various bars and such. Three tires and
several contractor bags worth of just plain garbage some dating back to the late
60's and 70's.
I think you will agree it is a stark transformation from before to after.
Before:
After Completion:
The old steps and dock in this project were shot to say the least. The new
set was a bit of a challenge due to the angle needed for the last set of stairs
to accommodate the bank. We had to be able to land at the proper height for the
floating dock at the bottom, and straight with the shore without disturbing the
bank and its vegetation.
Before:
After Project completion:
An older small home with a one car long garage that was turned into a family
room featuring a fire place and a new two car garage added on.
Before:
After:
Lake Wausau water access stairs.
Before: 
After: 
Shoreline Grading Project
B4-
In progress-
After-
More To Come !
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